A message from Carol Buckley, Sanctuary Director:
http://www.elephants.com/tina/A_Message.pdf

Tributes to Tina. Add yours at this link:
http://www.elephants.com/tina/tina_tributes.php

Remembering Tina:
http://www.elephants.com/tina/tina_inmemory.htm

Saturday, Jul 24, 2004

Tina, ailing elephant from B.C. zoo, dies at Tennessee sanctuary

VANCOUVER (CP) - Tina, the Asian elephant with the ailing feet, has died in Tennessee. The 34-year-old pachyderm was transferred last August to the Elephant Sanctuary at Hohenwald, about 100 kilometres southwest of Nashville.
The long-distance journey from the Greater Vancouver Zoo in Langley, B.C., was made with the hope of resolving Tina's health problems.

Sanctuary co-founder Scott Blais said Tina began having motor problems about 10 days ago and took her last breath early Wednesday.

The 4,100-kilogram elephant had long suffered from foot problems, made worse by the hard-packed earth at the B.C. zoo.

"I don't think her muscles could hold up any more from the strain of trying to support the weight on feet independently because each foot was sore, so she was trying to relax one foot at a time and her body just couldn't take it any more," Blais said.

The actual cause of death has not been determined.

Blais said Tina was able to enjoy companionship in her last year.

Two other elephants at the sanctuary - Sissy and Winkie - have clearly been grieving.

Blais said they spent most of Wednesday with the body.

"Human friends only account for so much of an elephant's life," he said.

"We can do a lot for elephants. As humans we can bring them a certain amount of joy but it pales in comparison to what other elephants can bring.

"And just seeing Sissy and Winkie spend those last hours consoling each other and just being with her just was I think they exhibited more emotion than any human could have in that moment."

Blais said special shoes designed to alleviate the pain caused by Tina's foot abscesses would have been ready in about two weeks.

© The Canadian Press, 2004